This is a versatile set because the stamps work great for all winter holidays, and it makes a cute card on its own or when paired with a cocoa packet:

It's easy to create the pocket card: Score a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of cardstock at 5 1/2" and 10", and use a corner rounder punch on all four corners. Mountain fold the scored line next to the 1" flap side, and valley fold on the other scored line at the middle. Then adhere the long sides of the pocket with red-lined tape on the inside edges, and insert your cocoa packet.

This card by Luba Balycz shows the Snow Cocoa image on the front, which is also available as a wood mounted stamp (2022F):

The inside of the card is just as cute as the outside:

Did you spot the Melty S'more image in the lower right? It's from the same Marshmallow Friends Clear Set (or 2031E as a wood mounted stamp), and it makes an adorable card on its own, too:

Pamela created the card above, as well as this one:

Both have Glossy Accents on the chocolate. The marshmallow is adorned with ultrafine glitter on the first card and white flocking on the second. Such fun finishing touches!

Or turn this image into a S'more Kit by placing the ingredients into a decorated pillow box:

Looking for something more elegant? Check out this simple yet lovely card by Cathy Myhowych:

It's 2023D Warmest Christmas Wishes in the wood mounted version. Or, if you use the clear set, you can mix and match the phrases to send "holiday" or "winter" wishes.

Want the chance to win 11057SC Marshmallow Friends Clear Set? Let's do a quick BLOG CANDY giveaway! To enter, just leave your name in the comments section below.

On Thursday, December 1st, I'll randomly choose the winner and post that person's name...so please check back to see if you've won!

Monday, November 28, 2011

We've never had a sale like this before! Save on our ENTIRE line of wood mounted stamps, clear sets, and accessories...everything you see on the main Inky site is included. Plus, if your post-discount total exceeds $30, you'll also get a FREE jar of Diamond Dust.

So if you've had your eye on some items (for yourself or someone else), now's the perfect time to get them. :-) Just click here for our Cyber Monday coupon code and instructions on how to redeem it. Happy shopping!

Friday, November 25, 2011

I know you've probably got a lot to do today...it's Black Friday, after all! Here's a cartoon that pokes fun at the extreme lengths to which some folks will go in their quest to find the best sales:

Usually I find it's easier to do most of my holiday shopping online. Sometimes it's a little too easy:

Of course, it's good not to wait until the last minute. As long as you don't start too early, like this man:
It was just after Thanksgiving, and the judge was in a happy mood. He asked the defendant, "What are you charged with?"

The defendant replied, "Doing my Christmas shopping too early."

"That's no crime," said the judge. "Just how early were you doing this shopping?"

"Before the shop opened," answered the man.

It can be tough battling those crowds, though! That's why, most of all, it's important to keep your sense of humor while shopping. And always remember, Santa is our friend:

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Here at Inky Antics, we've got a lot to be thankful for: our wonderful customers, amazing designers, and talented artists. That's a lot of adjectives, but it's true...without all of you, we wouldn't be here today. And for that, we're very appreciative!

Thanks also to Robin Barwacz, for sharing her adorable turkey card with this sentiment inside:

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Since our theme for this month's hop was handmade gifts, we thought it would be fun to follow up with "Try It Different" versions of 10941SC Reindeer Crunch Clear Set:

Here's the tag from the set, shown on the front of V1-1223 Rectangle Box Template:

The tag was colored was pencils and blended with Gamsol, and all the edges were inked with Ranger Archival Ink in Coffee. The box was spritzed with Perfect Pearls Mists, diluted just a little to match the background paper.

Speaking of the box, what's inside? Why, Reindeer Crunch, of course:

This stamp set contains a coordinating name label, image, background stamp, and gift tag...everything you need to help you create an adorable gourmet gift.

Well, except for the actual Reindeer Crunch snack. Trudy Sjolander, who made both of these "sweet" little presents, provided her secret recipe:

In a very large bowl, mix together Bugles and nuts. Melt almond bark in a microwave safe dish until melted, checking and stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Pour over Bugles mixture and stir until entirely coated.

Line two cookie sheets with waxed paper. Spread Bugle mixture on a pan, and place in freezer until almond bark hardens. Once hardened, break into pieces and place in an airtight container.

Yum! This recipe is fast and simple, but you could also substitute a ready-made snack mix (perhaps with a few chocolate candies thrown in for good measure) if you prefer.

Thanks to True for sharing her great projects...and to for stopping by to visit with us today!

Since her comment from True's post matched our randomly selected number, Sue's prize pack will contain 10939SC Merry Mochaccino Clear Set (which is what Trudy used to make her coffee-themed gift) and another holiday Inky clear set:

Lillian's prize pack will also contain a surprise Inky clear set, along with 10936MC Snowman Soup Clear Set (which contains the stamps Jovi used to create her cocoa mug & coaster ensemble):

If you'd like to order these clear sets to make your own handcrafted gifts, you can find them here. Thanks to everyone who joined us for this hop and left such nice comments. We're so glad you participated!

"Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often."
-Johnny Carson

"Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants."
-Kevin James

"Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence."
-Erma Bombeck

"Thanksgiving is a magical time of year when families across the country join together to raise America's obesity statistics. Personally, I love Thanksgiving traditions: watching football, making pumpkin pie, and saying the magic phrase that sends your aunt storming out of the dining room to sit in her car."
-Stephen Colbert

* * *

And some Thanksgiving riddles...

What happened when the turkey got into a fight?
He got the stuffing knocked out of him

What did the little turkey say to the big turkey?
Peck on someone your own size!

Can a turkey jump higher than the Empire State Building?
Yes. A building can't jump at al.

What sound does a turkey's phone make?
Wing! Wing!

* * *

If you're hosting Thanksgiving for the first (or eighteenth) time and have a question about how to prepare the bird, here's a link to the Butterball® Turkey Talk-Line.

The Turkey Talk-Line has been in operation for 29 years. Nowadays, it employs more than 50 home economists and nutritionists, who respond to more than 100,000 questions each November and December. We're not affiliated in any way, but I thought you might find this interesting. I sure did!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

It seems the current economy has prompted many folks to be even more careful with how we spend our money. With the holidays right around the corner, we thought it would be fun to show how you can use Inky stamps to make handcrafted presents. Thoughtful and thrifty...what's not to love?

To view our design team's creations, visit each person's blog and leave comments along the way. The more you comment, the better your chances are to win. (Limit one comment per blog, please.)

The blog hop starts today and ends on Sunday, November 20th at midnight Central time. Two people's names will be drawn at random to receive an Inky prize pack. We'll announce the winners here next Monday, so remember to stop back and see if you're one of them!

After you're done, return here to leave a comment as your final entry. Thanks for playing with us!

* * *

For my project, I picked up a picture frame and some patterned paper:

I used a discount coupon on the frame, so my total expenses were $9.64 plus tax:

If you click on a closeup view of the receipts, you'll notice I also purchased dry erase markers. I'll bet you can figure out where I'm headed with that, right?

Yep, the glass surface of the picture frame can function as a dry erase board. Cool, huh? Simply place your patterned paper and other elements behind the glass, and you've got a decorative yet functional message center!

Or insert a calendar (such as the one I printed from here), add a couple of stamped images (like those in 10983LC Stovetop Cooking Chefs Clear Set, shown at the bottom of this page), and it becomes a handy meal planning board:

If you wish, you could substitute a blank calendar and just write in the numbers each month so the sheet inside doesn't have to be replaced.

I thought this would make a lovely gift all by itself...but if you really want to go "whole hog," then you could present it with some premade freezer meals. There are bunches of recipes available online, such as the ones here, here, here, here, and here. Hmm, now I hear the kitchen calling my name!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

You may have noticed this week's card on our main website features one of the delightful characters from our Holiday BaZooples collection.

For the Summer CHA show, Michelle Pearson made several terrific sample cards using additional images and sayings from this series (originally posted here and here).

Last month, these stamps were featured in our store sample board program. With Michelle's permission, I relied heavily on her cards as inspiration to create the store versions and wanted to share some of them with you!

Since we use Darcie's patterned papers for all of our samples, I changed the color scheme but otherwise held pretty true to Michelle's original. I omitted the circular pearl border and added ultrafine glitter to the snow, and I substituted slightly different snowflake punches.

For the next two sets, I needed to change the orientation and simplify the cards a bit. This is Michelle's adorable card showing 0706J Joyful Elsie with 0830F Bright With Delight (also in 11061MC Holiday BaZooples #1 Clear Set):

I loved her stitched borders and the pearl-studded border strip but kept mine much more basic:

I also used 2109J Lester's Snowman and 0810E Snow Fun Friends (also from 11063MC Holiday BaZooples #3 Clear Set) but reduced the card size and simplified it for production purposes:

The shaker insert was created by lining the image panel with foam tape:

It was filled with Diamond Dust (which happens to be a "gift with purchase" free item this month), and covered with a top panel lined with acetate (shown below on the reverse side):

(For more detailed instructions on how to make this type of card, see the shaker chef project here. It's the same basic process but I altered the image and cutout shapes.)

Want to check out this collection in person? Here's the list of stores who received the Holiday BaZooples stamps and sample board. If you stop by one of these stores, please mention you found them via our blog. Happy shopping!

"Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground."
-USAF Ammo Troop

"If the enemy is in range, so are you."
-Infantry Journal

"A slipping gear could let your m203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit."
-Army's magazine of prevention maintenance

"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed."
-U.S. Air Force manual

"Tracers work both ways."
-U.S. Army Ordnance

"Five-second fuses only last three seconds."
-Infantry Journal

"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you."
-Infantry Journal

"If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him."
-USAF Ammo Troop

* * *

And here are a couple of jokes:

Telephone

Having just moved into his new office, a pompous, new colonel was sitting at his desk when an airman knocked on the door. Conscious of his new position, the colonel quickly picked up the phone, told the airman to enter, and then said into the phone, "Yes, General, I'll be seeing him this afternoon and I'll pass along your message. In the meantime, thank you for your good wishes, sir."

Feeling as though he had sufficiently impressed the young enlisted man, he asked, "What do you want?"

A young naval student was being rigorously tested orally by an old sea captain.

Captain: "What would you do if a sudden storm sprang up on starboard?"
Student: "Throw out an anchor, sir."
Captain: "What would you do if another storm sprang up aft?"
Student: "Throw out another anchor, sir."
Captain: "Suppose another horrendous storm sprang up forward. What would you do?
Student: "Throw out another anchor, sir.
Captain: "Hold on. Where are you getting all those anchors from?
Student: "From the same place you are getting your storms, sir."

* * *

Finally, not a joke but rather a resource: I found this list of restaurant meals and other specials for veterans. I haven't personally verified each item, but I've seen several versions of this page and assume they are legitimate. Happy Veterans Day!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Congratulations to Linsey R., whose name was randomly drawn as the winning entry. She correctly identified the other set from this collection as 10913LC Sweety Snowman #1 Clear Set:

Although it wasn't required to play, Linsey happened to leave these kind comments:

I love my Inky Antics stamps :) I just pulled out some wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas stamps I've had for a while and I think they are timeless. Always adorable and so much fun to play with! Thanks for sharing all the super cute cards with Sweety Snowman, very inspiring! Hugs and smiles

If you were also inspired by the projects in Tuesday's post, then I've got several more to share with you today! Let's start with one of my favorite characters in this series (which is the same as wood mounted 10660K Sweety's Candy Cane):

His gigantic candy cane is so much fun to embellish, such as with ultrafine glitter as shown above or a combination of glitter and Glossy Accents used here:

You can see it better in this closeup photo:

This clear set also contains a cookie-loving character (same as wood mounted 10646J Sweety's Sprinkles):

He looks different but just as cute "dressed up" in alternative colors:

And what goes best with cookies? Milk...or, even better, hot cocoa! A mini paper sack decorated with Sweety's Cocoa (10628H as wood mounted) could hold a packet or two as a gift:

You can see how it was assembled by looking at the side view:

Or check out this unique wrapping for a cocoa packet:

It's basically a pocket card with a pull-up treat:

Ingenious! If you'd like to make one yourself, you can find the directions on Splitcoaststampers here.

Of course, this stamp image works just as well on a card, simply by changing the background pieces:

Or you can switch the orientation, colors, and embellishments to create a different version:

Thanks so much to Lana Lepinski (who created projects 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7) and Debbie Fisher (who made cards 2, 4, and 8)...and to YOU, for stopping to visit with us and Sweety Snowman. Hope you have a very "sweet" day!

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